As another heatwave approached France, shoppers queued outside supermarkets before dawn in the hope of buying discounted portable air conditioners, with some stores receiving so little stock that one branch had just two units available for hundreds of waiting customers.
Chaotic scenes were reported across parts of the country on Thursday after German discount retailer Lidl announced it would restock fans and air conditioners nationwide. Police were called to several stores after crowds surged into shops and fought over the limited supplies.
